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Category: Twins

Worth Noting

Posted on December 14, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

 

Joe Mauer’s fiancé is a nurse in the Twin Cities.  He and Madeline Bisanz have known each other since high school at Cretin-Derham Hall.  The two have been in Florida but will be back in Minnesota for the holidays.  No wedding date has been set for Madeline and the Twins catcher who once dated the 2005 Miss USA, Chelsea Cooley.

Next season needs to be a comeback year on the field for Mauer but it’s even bigger for his buddy, first baseman Justin Morneau.  Injuries have slowed Morneau for two seasons and production has been far below his best years (in 2011 four home runs, 30 RBI and a .227 batting average).  He turns 31 in May and 2013 is the last year of his contract with the Twins.

Joe’s brother Jake Mauer will return for a third year as manager of the Twins Single-A affiliate Ft. Myers Miracle (Florida State League).

The Saints franchise that comes to Mall of America Field on Sunday to play the Vikings beat Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game on January 24, 2010.  Since then the Saints are 21-8 in regular season games, the Vikings 8-21.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association’s annual clinic with the Gophers is March 29-31.  Coaches interested in attending can learn more at www.mshsca.org.

New Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman has only four teams in 20 seasons of NBA coaching who didn’t make the playoffs.  Twice his teams have been in the NBA Finals.

In five seasons playing in the Spanish ACB League, new Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio made .374 percent of his field goals and .314 of his three point attempts.  Although he’s only 21, Rubio’s shooting and defense will be scrutinized in the early weeks of the NBA season.

Last summer Rubio treated a north Minneapolis family, who had been impacted by tornadoes, to an afternoon at the Mall of America.

Saint John’s head coach Jim Smith has 731 career wins, the 21st best total in college basketball history.  Smith is 10 wins behind former Temple coach John Chaney.

The Wild will never have a better goalie storyline during the first months of the season than this year.  Training camp opened with the comfort of having six-year veteran and regular goalie Niklas Backstrom on the roster.  But backup Josh Harding has probably been the team MVP while supporting roles have been played by 51-year-old “emergency” goalie Paul Deutsch and Matt Hackett who didn’t make his first start until December 8.  On Monday Hackett was named by the NHL as its Second Star for the week after a 2-0, 1.01 goals against average last week.

The Wild’s Devin Setoguchi is scheduled to sign autographs at the Maplewood Mall Hockey Lodge store on Friday from 6 to 7 p.m.  The store is located at 3001 White Bear Avenue in Maplewood.

 

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Worth Noting

Posted on December 8, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

 

Although not popular with the masses, Matt Capps might be of more help to the Twins next season than anticipated.  He was targeted by boo-bird fans last season (4-7, 4.25 ERA), but he had a sore right forearm.  Capps has sometimes achieved impressive numbers as a big league closer.  He had ERA’s of 2.28 and 3.02 with Pittsburgh and 2.74 for Washington before joining the Twins.

The Twins have acquired right-handed pitcher Daniel Turpen from the Rockies as the player to be named later in the Kevin Slowey trade. Turpen, 25, had a 2-4 record and 4.83 ERA with 11 saves in 48 appearances (one start) at Double-A Tulsa last season.  He will be assigned to Triple-A Rochester’s roster.

With a 7-2 record and goals against average of 2.14 and save percentage of .932, Josh Harding is probably the Wild’s MVP so far.  Harding has seven of the team’s 18 victories and helped the Wild to the most wins and points in the NHL.  He’s been given the most extensive playing time in his career by new coach Mike Yeo.

This team is building confidence by the week, receives scoring from various players and has shown a franchise-rare ability to come from behind in wins.  The Wild have won five straight games and play the Kings in Los Angeles Thursday night.

At home the team has sold-out only two games, the opener and the day after Thanksgiving game, according to a Sports Headliners source.  Past disappointments, high price tickets, and even HDTV are reasons the franchise that used to automatically post sell-out signs is no longer doing so.  The Wild haven’t made the playoffs for three years.

Coach Don Lucia’s Gophers hockey team, 13-4-1, is the only team in the country with 13 wins.  Minnesota has 20 WCHA points for the first time in 12 games since the 2006-07 season.  The Gophers, 10-2 in the WCHA, host Michigan Tech on Friday and Saturday nights.

Ch. 23 will show Saturday afternoon’s St. Thomas-UW-Whitewater Division III football semifinals playoff game from Whitewater, Wisconsin.  The telecast will be produced and shown nationally on the ESPN3.com Website.  The game can also be heard on WCCO Radio.

Tommies coach Glenn Caruso is a Division III finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award.  This is the first time in St. Thomas history the football team has advanced to the Division III semifinals.

Concordia, St. Paul senior offensive left tackle Tyler Hendrickson is a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award.  Last year Hendrickson, from St. Paul, finished third in the voting which recognizes the top junior or senior offensive and defensive linemen in the nation.  The winner will be announced on January 22.

Defending Class 4A champion Hopkins plays Cretin-Derham Hall starting at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday in one of many games that are part of the Breakdown Tip Off Classic at Minnetonka.  That game is on the Main Court while at 7:45 p.m. Tartan and Apple Valley on the West Court.

 

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Gophers, Twins & Other Notes

Posted on November 18, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Monday but was in the office about 5 a.m. Tuesday.  That’s a typical arrival time for him.

GopherIllustrated.com. reports that defensive back Jeremy Baltazar from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas has given a verbal commitment to the Gophers for 2012.  He visited campus last weekend.

Cornerback Kyle Henderson, who transferred to the Gophers from Minnesota State-Mankato State, said perhaps six to eight of his former teammates could have played Division I football.  “The talent level is not terrible in Division II by any means,” he said.

Because of a commitment to play MarQueis Gray at quarterback, Gophers freshman Max Shortell has been on the field for only a few plays since he started the Michigan game on October 1.  Kill said he’s “pleased with the progress” of the 19-year-old quarterback.  “…Actually he’s probably farther along than what I thought he would be when he came here,” Kill said. “He’s worked hard.”

Round one of the 32-team NCAA Division III playoffs are about to start and no game has more local interest than St. Thomas hosting St. Scholastica.  UST will be at home for the noon start tomorrow and hopes to improve its all-time first-round playoff record to 3-0.  The MIAC website reports that the Tommies’ Fritz Waldvogel tied a Division III record by catching a pass in each of 40 career regular season games.

Twins executive Jim Rantz describes newly signed infielder Jamey Carroll as a “young” 37 year old.  He said Carroll has taken care of himself and his personality will be a positive in the clubhouse.

Rantz said minor league pitching prospect Kyle Gibson won’t throw with “any velocity” until June or July after his Tommy John surgery.  Rantz wouldn’t predict whether Gibson’s recovery schedule will allow him to pitch in organized baseball in 2012.

Max Kepler, the native of Germany who the Twins signed at 16, turns 19 in February and Rantz said the former infielder is considered a prospect at all three outfield positions.  It’s possible Kepler will play for the Twins Class A Beloit team next year.

Coach Don Lucia’s No. 1 ranked Gophers hockey team has scored a goal in the last minute of regulation play in five of 12 games this season and only one goal has been an empty-net goal.  Seven times this season the Gophers have scored during the last five minutes.  Minnesota plays at St. Cloud State tonight and tomorrow night.

The Wild has the second-ranked prospects in the NHL, according to an ESPN Insider story this week.  Mentioned in the article were Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, Jonas Brodin and Johan Larsson.   ESPN Insider discounted any player who had begun his entry-level contract.

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